SHANGHAI, April 25 (Xinhua) -- China, with an open stance, is collaborating with the international community to drive breakthroughs in deep-space exploration and foster resource sharing, striving to build a shared future in space.
On the occasion of Space Day of China, which is celebrated annually on April 24, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced a series of international collaboration initiatives to advance deep-space exploration.
Seven institutions from six countries -- France, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States -- have been authorized to borrow the lunar samples collected by China's Chang'e-5 mission for scientific research.
In 2020, the Chang'e-5 mission retrieved samples from the moon weighing about 1,731 grams, which were the first lunar samples in the world in over 40 years, helping advance humanity's knowledge about the moon.
Shan Zhongde, head of the CNSA, said China's lunar exploration program has always adhered to the principles of equality, mutual benefits, peaceful utilization and win-win cooperation, sharing achievements with the international community.
He added that CNSA will continue to accept international applications for lunar sample research, expressing hope that global scientists will make new discoveries that expand human knowledge and benefit humanity.
With the advancement of China's lunar exploration program, international cooperation continues to deepen. The CNSA announced that the Chang'e-8 mission, which is scheduled for launch around 2029, will carry payloads from 11 countries and regions and one international organization.
Developers of the instruments to be aboard the Chang'e-8 are from Asia, Europe, Africa and South America.
The Chang'e-8 mission will target the Leibnitz-Beta Plateau near the lunar south pole region, working with the earlier Chang'e-7 mission to conduct scientific exploration and in-situ resource utilization experiments. These efforts will lay the groundwork for the future International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
The ILRS, initiated by China, is a scientific experimental facility consisting of sections on the lunar surface and in lunar orbit, and is projected to be built in two phases: a basic model to be built by 2035 in the lunar south pole region, and an extended model to be built in the 2040s.
A total of 17 countries and international organizations, and more than 50 international research institutions, have joined the ILRS, according to Bian Zhigang, deputy director of the CNSA.
Bian stressed that the ILRS will offer new opportunities and platforms for fostering global cooperation, technological innovation and shared development.
China welcomes international partners to participate in various stages of the ILRS and at all levels of the mission. This will promote the use of space technology to benefit humanity and advance the building of a community with a shared future for humanity in the field of outer space, he said.
Amjad Ali, a senior official with the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) of Pakistan, said that the CNSA leads in inclusive space exploration, enabling emerging space nations like Pakistan to rise.
The Chang'e-8 mission will carry a 30-kilogram lunar rover developed by SUPARCO, contributing to terrain mapping and regolith analysis.
"The CNSA-SUPARCO partnership strengthens intercultural dialogue, diplomacy and peaceful collaboration, proving that shared dreams can unite nations among the stars," he added.
Humanity can reach deeper space through collaboration from lunar soil to Martian surface.
China aims to launch the Tianwen-3 Mars sample-return mission around 2028, with the primary scientific goal of searching for signs of life. The retrieval of samples from Mars is the most technically challenging space exploration mission since the Apollo program, and no such retrieval has ever been accomplished, said Liu Jizhong, chief designer of the mission.
Despite this mission's considerable challenges and limited resources, China still plans to allocate 20 kilograms of resources for international collaboration.
China invites global partners to jointly advance Mars exploration and research, thereby expanding humanity's understanding of the red planet, said CNSA.
Joining hands, humanity can unlock mysteries beyond the stars.
An astronomical satellite jointly developed by China and France has detected a gamma-ray burst dating back 13 billion years, likely originating from the collapse of an early star forming a black hole or a neutron star. This discovery offers humanity a glimpse into the universe's infancy.
The discovery made by the Space-based multi-band Variable Object Monitor (SVOM) was also released on the Space Day of China.
The SVOM project, a major bilateral space collaboration between China and France spanning nearly two decades, is a contribution that Chinese and French scientists and engineers have made to the international astronomy community through years of cooperation, integrating high-tech resources from both countries.
"Together, we will pool efforts to promote the development of the world's space industry, ensuring that space innovations serve and enhance human well-being across broader domains, at deeper levels, and to higher standards," Shan emphasized at the opening ceremony for the Space Day of China.
At the invitation of the Permanent Mission of China in Vienna, the Permanent Representatives of Kenya and South Africa to Vienna, along with diplomats from the Permanent Missions of Venezuela, Belarus, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan to Vienna, made a special trip to China to participate in the series of activities for the Space Day.
Award-winning paintings created by Chinese children, depicting their space dreams, were presented to these diplomats. ■